Reality Bites
by ilovetvalot
Summary: When Emily & Dave procreate, they find their offspring more than they bargained for. Dave is surprised when toddlers don't respond to Negotiation 101. FOURSHOT
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's Note: Okay, first, thank you to everyone reading, reviewing, favoriting and alerting our stories. We truly appreciate your comments.**_

_**Second, we want to offer you a quick rundown of activities and threads that are ongoing at the forum:**_

_**First, we have opened our next challenge to participants. "The Future Fic Challenge" thread is open on Chit Chat on Author's Corner forum. Rules and explanation of the challenge are there as well. In short, choose one character and get assigned a random secondary character to tell a story set in the year 2022. It looks like a lot of fun.**_

_**We've also introduced a "Help Wanted" thread to the forum for authors that are looking for assistance with various writing complications that come up. Perhaps you want someone to bounce ideas with, or maybe you need a beta….this is the place to post an ad for what you are looking for. We've also reopened the "Chat Chat Among the Authors" thread to discuss spoilers or ask questions. The "Getting to Know YOU…Tell us about yourself" thread is open. Swing by there to introduce yourself whether you are a reader or an author. We'd love to meet you.**_

_**This week's author of the week is the talented RockHotch31. Please swing by that thread to ask questions about their writing and/or stories. In addition, there are several other threads open for comment. We hope to see each of you there.**_

* * *

_**This story follows the stores, "Perfect Plans", "A Plan Conceived", "The First Trimester", "The Second Trimester" and "The Third Trimester: Lessons Learned"**_

* * *

**Reality Bites**

**Chapter One**

Staring at his three year old daughter, David Rossi shook his head. "Tell me how we're going to explain this to your mother," he groaned as Marianna Rossi cocked her head and stared back at him with, if he wasn't completely insane, a defiant twinkle in her eyes. Crossing his arms over his chest as he crouched in front of her, he pressed his lips together. And damn if the little demoness didn't mimic his posture.

Only she cocked one little hip – her purple ballerina skirt flouncing - just like her mother did when SHE faced off with him.

"_You're _gonna tell her, piccola," Dave said sternly, narrowing his eyes as he faced off with his progeny. "Although, we _both_ know who she's gonna blame."

"But…."

"Uh-uh." Dave shook his head, offering his little girl a severe look. "No buts, Mari," he denied as the elevator dinged, announcing its arrival.

"Da-dddyyy," Mari whimpered, dragging her feet as she trudged inside the elevator after her father, blinking her wide blue eyes up at him.

Crap, his daughter was giving him _the look_. The one that threatened tears…big, fat alligator drops that would shred his heart. "Oh, no," he breathed, trying to steel himself.

"Up, pwease," Mari begged, blinking her eyelids slowly as she stretched her tiny arms above her head, her pink and purple shoes bouncing against the floor.

"We have to tell her," Dave said heavily, as much to convince himself as his daughter. "They sent a note," he said, clutching the yellow accident report in his hands and waving it at her.

"Pwease," Mari sniffled, her tiny hands gesticulating as she stood on her tiptoes. "It was an a'cident."

Bending, he quickly pulled his petite daughter into his arms and perched her on his hip as she buried her little face in his throat. "Yeah," he mumbled. "Your teeth _accidently_ took a plug out of the day care worker. That'll fly."

Rubbing her nose against her daddy's neck, Mari huffed, "Miss Annie moved my b'ocks, Daddy. They's my b'ocks!"

Dave sighed as he rubbed his daughter's back, knowing that he was supposed to be the adult in this situation, since it was obvious that his daughter was indeed the child. "Mari, honey, you remember Mommy and Daddy talking to you about using your words when you're upset and not hitting and biting?"

Her forehead wrinkling as she shook her head against his shoulder, Mari mumbled, "I didn't hit. Hitting's bad."

"So's biting, kid," Dave muttered as the elevator dinged and the doors opened. Shifting his daughter slightly as he stepped into the hallway, Dave winced as he caught sight of his beloved standing just on the other side of the glass doors that led to the BAU bullpen. Couldn't she have been in some meeting on another floor….or even another building? But no…here she was, as if the fates were already laughing at him. And dammit, why did he have a feeling that both he and his daughter were about to pay a visit to the principal's office? "Showtime," he muttered to himself.

Her ears perking up at that phrase, Mari Rossi raised her head and patted her father's cheek as she smiled hopefully. "Show? You gots TV to watch, Daddy? We watch TV! No Mama, 'kay?"

"Not exactly, princess," Dave explained as he watched Emily turn toward them, her slim body moving fluidly. "Sorry, kid," Dave grimaced as Emily spied them through the glass. "We've been spotted."

Pushing open the swinging door, Emily Prentiss Rossi hurried into the hallway. "Dave!" Emily called, her eyes running over her little girl worriedly, "I missed a call from the daycare while I was tied up in PG's office. Marianna, are you sick, baby?" she asked, quickly pressing her hand to her daughter's forehead.

In true diva fashion, Mari coughed weakly. "Uh huh," she said in that tiny voice she'd perfected since she'd learned to talk. It was the one she'd used from her first word to manipulate adults, old and young alike. Only, unfortunately, her mother was the keenest grown up she'd ever met….and not easily influenced by her little girl's antics. Unlike her father.

Marianna Rossi knew which side her bread was buttered on. And her Daddy was usually the one toasting it, buttering it, and slicing it exactly to her specifications!

Narrowing her eyes, Emily glanced up at his face. "What's going on, Dave?" she asked, spying the yellow slip of paper he held and reaching for it. Scanning the paper, Emily's gaze turned positively stormy. Lifting her eyes to Dave, she blinked. Once. "She's been _expelled_! From daycare? How did you let this _happen,_" she moaned, her voice rising to a high pitch.

Somehow, he knew this would be all his fault, Dave thought with a mental sigh. Since the day his beautiful baby girl had made her debut, every slightly difficult aspect of her personality had remarkably originated on _his_ side of the gene pool. Add that to the fact that his own mother had ratted out his own taste for blood to the woman he loved, and it only solidified her case against him. And if he hadn't been mistaken, his dear sainted mother had enjoyed recalling those stories with far more relish than he had thought absolutely necessary.

Yet again, he was screwed.

"Em, I think we can both agree that neither one of us was there when Mari chose to express her displeasure with the current daycare regulations," he sighed as he shifted their daughter in his arms once again, the tiny girl suddenly becoming dead weight as she curled against his shoulder in her best imitation of a fainting Southern belle. Seeing Emily's eyes narrow even further, as if that was physically possible, he added, "Surely you agree with that, right?"

Emily reached for her daughter, easily switching the child to her arms. "What I agree to is that our daughter has been learning bad habits and the one teaching those to her is standing right before me! She was _biting_? Again? This is soooo all your fault," she hissed.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author's Note: Okay, first, thank you to everyone reading, reviewing, favoriting and alerting our stories. We truly appreciate your comments.**_

_**Second, we want to offer you a quick rundown of activities and threads that are ongoing at the forum:**_

_**First, we have opened our next challenge to participants. "The Future Fic Challenge" thread is open on Chit Chat on Author's Corner forum. Rules and explanation of the challenge are there as well. In short, choose one character and get assigned a random secondary character to tell a story set in the year 2022. It looks like a lot of fun.**_

_**We've also introduced a "Help Wanted" thread to the forum for authors that are looking for assistance with various writing complications that come up. Perhaps you want someone to bounce ideas with, or maybe you need a beta….this is the place to post an ad for what you are looking for. We've also reopened the "Chat Chat Among the Authors" thread to discuss spoilers or ask questions. The "Getting to Know YOU…Tell us about yourself" thread is open. Swing by there to introduce yourself whether you are a reader or an author. We'd love to meet you.**_

_**This week's author of the week is the talented RockHotch31. Please swing by that thread to ask questions about their writing and/or stories. In addition, there are several other threads open for comment. We hope to see each of you there.**_

* * *

**Reality Bites**

**Chapter Two**

"How can I be blamed because Mari has become a biter? I don't bite…now!" Dave exclaimed loudly, then winced as he heard a deep chuckle from behind him. Turning quickly, he pointed at the man leaning against the bookcase. "Not a word, Derek Morgan. Not. A. Word."

Taking a step toward the obviously unhappy family, Morgan grinned widely as he held up his hands. "Hey, it's not my place to comment on whether you and Em engage in anything kinky, Rossi."

Pressing her hands to her daughter's ears quickly, Emily hissed, "I'll thank you not to use the K word around my baby, Derek Morgan!"

Ignoring Emily, well accustomed to the woman's possessive streak, Derek smiled down at the little girl. "What's happening, Little Fang? You get ratted out in daycare again?"

"They's mean to me, Unca Der'k," Mari whined as she held out her arms to her quasi-uncle. "You play now?"

"Who's mean to you?" three adults asked in unison, each face equally lethal even though each of them kept their voices calm.

"Meenie weenie Miss Annie," Marianna answered, her little mouth opening to yawn, obviously already tired with the conversation.

Jaw dropping as she held her precious burden closer, Emily moaned, "You bit your _teacher_? Why in the world would you _do_ that, Mari! You love Miss Annie."

"Not t'day." Mari shook her little head furiously, onyx curls falling haphazardly down her back. "She took my b'ocks and gave 'em to the _hair puller!" _she whined, wrinkling her nose as she looked at her mother before dropping her head back to Emily's shoulder again.

"Who pulled your hair?" Dave and Morgan growled simultaneously, each man stiffening dangerously.

"Billy," Mari muttered against Emily's neck.

Seeing the fire lighting Dave's gaze as he growled, "Who's Billy?", Emily rolled her eyes.

"Billy is William Paulson, son of Agent Amanda Paulson and her husband Dr. Reece Paulson, Dave. He's four years old. You two wanna put a hit out on him?" she asked sarcastically, rubbing her hand up and down Mari's back.

"No, but I think a conversation with little Billy's _daddy_ might be in order," Dave retorted, stiffening.

"Okay, but before you trot over to Georgetown Medical Complex, maybe, you should ask your daughter what she did last when little Billy tugged her pigtail," Emily suggested, moving Mari to her hip.

"Angel?" Dave queried, watching as his little girl gave a little growl and clacked her teeth together. "You bit him?" he choked.

"Clamped her jaw around his wrist while you were gone on that case last week," Emily spat, narrowing her eyes at Mari's father. "It took the teacher thirty seconds to convince our little miracle here to unclamp her jaw from that little boy's arm," she whispered above Mari's head. "She drew blood, Dave!"

Morgan grinned, impressed. "Way to go, my Vampire Princess."

"Derek!" Emily chastised, her eyes flashing in disapproval. "Do NOT encourage her! I think she gets enough of THAT from her father!"

Holding up a hand in protest, Dave exclaimed, "Hey, I'm not saying our kid is innocent, but I don't think she's a candidate for the chair, do you? I mean defending yourself isn't a crime. And if this Billy kid was pulling her hair, she's got a right to defend herself!"

"From Miss Annie?" Emily retorted, swaying side to side with Mari in her arms.

"She took my b'ocks!" Mari piped up, sensing allies in the two men standing in front of them. "And gave 'em 'way, Daddy!"

Before Dave could respond, Emily gently cupped her daughter's chin and said, "Mari, did Miss Anne tell you that it was time for someone else to play with the blocks first?"

Her pink lips falling into a perfect frown, Mari scrunched her eyes closed as she moaned, "Mommy, I wasn't FINISHED! They's mine!"

Nodding knowingly, Emily ignored the pending signs of her daughter's soon-to-occur explosions as she continued, "And did Miss Anne give you a warning when you didn't obey the first time?"

Growling, Dave snorted, "Em, she's our daughter, not an unsub. I don't think she needs the third degree when it's obvious that she's been targeted by that poor excuse for a teacher."

Glancing exasperatedly toward her riled lover, Emily snapped, "That teacher has a master's degree and could be a principal in any school in the nation, Dave. More than that, she's one of the best child care experts in the District. You don't remember that background check you had Garcia do before we enrolled Mari downstairs? Aside from that, this is the Bureau's daycare. I hardly think that there is an instructor on the premise that would target an agent's child!"

Her little ears perking up as she heard the name of her favorite aunt, Mari Rossi held up her arms to Derek as she demanded, "Aunt Garcie! See Aunt Garcie!"

"Sure thing, little princess," Derek promised as he reached out for the beautiful little girl. "I'm sure Garcia has a new techno gadget all ready for you! I think Mommy and Daddy need a timeout anyway," he said, plucking the kid out from between the two obviously agitated profilers.

Settling into Morgan's arms, Mari said with a sage nod, "Mommy's not using her inside voice."

"And Daddy looks like he's a heartbeat away from tearing a plug out of somebody himself," Derek agreed, shifting Mari against his hip. "I think you might come by the biting thing the honest way, kid."

"Judas," Dave growled, glowering at the other man. Honestly, since when was protecting his child from bullies and teachers that showed a marked favoritism toward other children wrong?

"He's gonna bite you, Unca Dewek," Mari whispered severely, patting Derek's cheek to get his attention. "And he's got big teef. Run!"

Pursing her lips as she nodded toward her seemingly blameless little girl, Emily demanded, "_See_? I told you this was your fault!" Placing a staying hand on Morgan's arm, Emily said calmly, "Not so quickly, baby girl. Tell Mommy what happened when you ignored Miss Annie."


	3. Chapter 3

_**Author's Note: Okay, first, thank you to everyone reading, reviewing, favoriting and alerting our stories. We truly appreciate your comments.**_

_**Second, we want to offer you a quick rundown of activities and threads that are ongoing at the forum:**_

_**First, we have opened our next challenge to participants. "The Future Fic Challenge" thread is open on Chit Chat on Author's Corner forum. Rules and explanation of the challenge are there as well. In short, choose one character and get assigned a random secondary character to tell a story set in the year 2022. It looks like a lot of fun.**_

_**We've also introduced a "Help Wanted" thread to the forum for authors that are looking for assistance with various writing complications that come up. Perhaps you want someone to bounce ideas with, or maybe you need a beta….this is the place to post an ad for what you are looking for. We've also reopened the "Chat Chat Among the Authors" thread to discuss spoilers or ask questions. The "Getting to Know YOU…Tell us about yourself" thread is open. Swing by there to introduce yourself whether you are a reader or an author. We'd love to meet you.**_

_**And lastly don't forget our "Pay It forward Review Incentive Program" From now until the end of April, anyone that reviews a Hotch related story is eligible to win an gift card. Details found on thread at forum.**_

_**This week's author of the week is the talented RockHotch31. Please swing by that thread to ask questions about their writing and/or stories. In addition, there are several other threads open for comment. We hope to see each of you there.**_

* * *

**Reality Bites**

**Chapter Three**

Squirming under the intensity of her mommy's gaze, Mari wrapped her arms around her uncle's thick neck. "She started countin'," Mari confessed.

Emily knew that the daycare worked on a strict three strike system. When a child reached the magic number of three, it was off to the carpet for them. And to any toddler worth their salt, the mat was the worst punishment. Fifteen minutes of boredom on a flat surface with no playthings.

Her daughter hated the "Thinking Mat" with an unholy passion. The fact that in her little mind Billy had helped pave her way to that horrible location wouldn't have helped matters.

"Did Miss Anne get to three?" Emily asked sternly, narrowing her eyes.

Mari shook her head. "Nope."

"Why?" Emily asked simply.

"Cuz I bited her on two," Mari replied clearly.

Closing her eyes, Emily prayed to the parenting gods for patience. "Our daughter forestalled the Thinking Mat on two, Dave. By biting her teacher."

Shrugging, Dave growled, "Sounds to me like she had cause, Em. It seems evident to me she was…."

"Framed?" Emily snorted, crossing her arms over her chest as her glinting eyes narrowed on the man she had deemed fit to parent a child with. "Was our daughter framed, Dave?" she goaded the older man mercilessly. Honest to God, how could such an intelligent man be so monumentally close-minded? When had she seriously thought that having a child with him would be a walk in the park? When?

Derek rolled his eyes as he interrupted. "If you two super agents don't mind, I'm going to take my honorary goddaughter out of harm's way. I believe she's provided her testimony and proven her case," he chuckled, tightening his arms around the tiny bundle he held protectively.

"See?" Dave exclaimed, pointing at the man that was taking his suddenly very chatty daughter away toward Garcia's office. The sound of his daughter's giggles wafted back as he added, "Even Morgan agrees that Mari's not to blame here!"

"And how many children has Morgan raised, Dave?" Emily asked, her tone acerbic as she stared at the man that she would have once sworn had more common sense than a housefly. She wasn't entirely sure what it was about her animated daughter that brought grown men crumbling to their knees in her presence. When she figured it out though, she was gonna market the skill far and wide.

Arching one brow, Dave countered, "I don't think either one of us is in position to cast parenting stones, babe, seeing as how Mari's our first attempt at swimming in this pond."

"And since she is OURS," Emily retorted, emphasizing the pronoun as she jammed a finger into her lover's chest, "I think it would behoove US to figure out how we're going to tame this little tiger that is intent on taking down perceived enemies and authority figures with a snap of her cute little jaws, Dave! She can't go to kindergarten if she's a biter!"

Rolling his eyes as he turned Emily and pushed her toward the nearby metal stairs, Dave muttered, "I think we need to finish this little tete-a-tete away from prying ears and eyes. Or, would you like our kid's penchant for taking a bite out of crime to be fodder for the grist mill?"

Glancing around at the agents that were attempting to appear uninterested but failing miserably at the task, Emily stomped toward Dave's office, pushed open the door, then slammed it behind them. Turning on one heel, she snapped, "These things follow her, Dave! And if we have any chance of Mari getting into the best schools, we need to nip this in the bud!"

"No pun intended?" Dave asked with twitching lips. Rewarded for his attempt at humor by a hissed inhalation from her, he drew in a deep breath as he searched for the energy to withstand what was obviously turning out to be one of her longer tirades. As calmly as he could, he mustered the strength to say, "Honey, she's three. She doesn't exactly have a federal dossier that can be used to declare her a war criminal!"

"How do you know that?" Emily shot back, hands akimbo on her hips as her eyes flashed. "It would not surprise me one little bit if there is already an official report out there that has our daughter labeled as a BITER, Dave." Waving the yellow form that had started the entire situation in his direction, she added "This one is just the start. B. I. T.E…."

"I know how it's spelled," Dave interrupted, dropping heavily into his leather chair and stretching his legs out in front of him. "I think you're taking this thing entirely too seriously, Emmy," he shook his head, unconsciously slipping and using the nickname she strictly forbade at work.

"Don't you 'Emmy' me, Rossi," Emily barked as she pointed at him. "_You_ aren't taking this or its implications seriously _enough_. Our child has been _expelled_. From daycare! You think this little note doesn't have copies being slipped in our daughter's file as we speak?" she asked, waving the form in front of his nose again as she stomped to his side. "We have to _do_ something!"

"Like what?" Dave asked pleasantly, shifting comfortably in his chair. "You have connections at the CIA," he reminded her. "Maybe you could have part of her file redacted."

"I think I might hate you a little bit," Emily announced with a level voice. "Why did I let you convince me to allow you to father my child again?"

"Because you thought my dick looked bigger and way better than the turkey baster?" Dave grinned wickedly, catching her off guard as he captured her wrist and toppled her into his lap.

"I think the turkey baster might have had more brains," Emily sighed, leaning against his chest in spite of her best efforts to do otherwise. "You do realize that those daycare records could keep her from getting into a good preschool and if she doesn't get into a good preschool, you can forget any elementary school worth its reputation taking her….and then…"

"You're gonna work this all the way up to the Ivy League Collegiate Institution of her choice, aren't you?"

"Harvard, Princeton and Yale all have a 'no biting' clause in effect," Emily grumbled under her breath. "I feel sure of it."


	4. Chapter 4

_**Author's Note: Okay, first, thank you to everyone reading, reviewing, favoriting and alerting our stories. We truly appreciate your comments.**_

_**Second, we want to offer you a quick rundown of activities and threads that are ongoing at the forum:**_

_**First, we have opened our next challenge to participants. "The Future Fic Challenge" thread is open on Chit Chat on Author's Corner forum. Rules and explanation of the challenge are there as well. In short, choose one character and get assigned a random secondary character to tell a story set in the year 2022. It looks like a lot of fun.**_

_**We've also introduced a "Help Wanted" thread to the forum for authors that are looking for assistance with various writing complications that come up. Perhaps you want someone to bounce ideas with, or maybe you need a beta….this is the place to post an ad for what you are looking for. We've also reopened the "Chat Chat Among the Authors" thread to discuss spoilers or ask questions. The "Getting to Know YOU…Tell us about yourself" thread is open. Swing by there to introduce yourself whether you are a reader or an author. We'd love to meet you.**_

_**And lastly don't forget our "Pay It forward Review Incentive Program" From now until the end of April, anyone that reviews a Hotch related story is eligible to win an gift card. Details found on thread at forum.**_

_**This week's author of the week is the talented klcm. Please swing by that thread to ask questions about their writing and/or stories. In addition, there are several other threads open for comment. We hope to see each of you there.**_

* * *

**Reality Bites**

**Chapter Four**

"Babe, in case you've forgotten, I've got enough money to buy her way into any college that suits her fancy," Dave replied, grinning as he dropped a kiss into her dark hair. "Or yours," he added solicitously, sliding his hand over her flat abdomen.

Swatting ineffectually at his chest, Emily growled, "We can't keep buying her whatever it is that she wants, Dave. That's just rewarding bad behavior." Something she was all too aware her significant other knew way too much about. Groaning as she shifted restlessly against him, Emily sighed. "This all started when you let her have all the teething cookies she wanted when she was little. She wrapped you around her little finger then, and because she got my intelligence, she knows she's got the upper hand in the relationship!"

"Nothing I'm going to say is going to mitigate the charges that are being laid at my feet, is it?" Dave asked rhetorically, well versed in the language that was Emily Prentiss and aware that the previous incarnations of this discussion had always ended with him accepting blame and begging for forgiveness. And, he thought to himself as he grinned, a reconciliatory make out session had usually followed in quick succession. Man, he really wanted to fast forward to THAT portion of the program. If Emily Prentiss was hell on heels outside the bedroom, she positively radiated fire in the intimacy of his embrace. She had certainly never ceased to make him burn.

"Not a chance in hell," Emily snorted, arching her back as she felt his hand sweep warmly against her spine. Capturing the marauding appendage before he could find a way to refocus her thoughts, Emily said sharply, "No hanky panky, Dave. Our daughter's entire academic future could be at stake, and you're not going to distract me this time." Biting her lip as she contemplated their options, she shook her head. "We need to come up with a plan," she determined with brisk precision, her mind already formulating and discarding options with alacrity.

"You know," Dave said softly, pressing his lips to the throbbing pulse in her neck, "I usually think of my best solutions when I'm thoroughly satisfied."

"You've _got_ to be kidding me," Emily snorted, turning her head to stare into his gleaming obsidian eyes.

"I _never _kid about getting laid," Dave replied seriously, lifting a hand to cup her breast through her thin silk shirt. "A good orgasm can clear the mind like nothing else can. It helps a guy clear the cobwebs and focus on what's important," he informed her soberly, only his twinkling eyes revealing his mischievous intentions.

"You know what else can do that?" Emily questioned sweetly. Watching his devilish lips quirk in silent invitation, she leaned toward his ear. "A gun," she whispered, violently pulling his chest hair through his shirt.

Yelping as he attempted to capture her wicked hand, Dave snorted, "You've grown violent, Emily Prentiss. I'm beginning to see where our daughter gets her penchant for biting first and asking questions later."

"You're blaming ME for Mari's juvenile delinquencies?" Emily's eyes narrowed as she met Dave nose-to-nose. "I think it was YOU who was expelled from four different Catholic kindergartens for, and I am quoting your mother here, "everything but crippling a nun"."

Arching a dark brow as he grinned at her, knowing good and well that he was enjoying making the stormy expression on her face become a full-blown hurricane, Dave replied easily, "It's not my fault that the parochial school system was not prepared for my overachieving mind."

"These are really things I should have investigated before letting your swimmers mate with my defenseless little egg," Emily muttered, shaking her head as she shimmied against him, his hand sliding lower and lower against her hip in a way that had proven to be very advantageous to him in the past. Slapping her palm against his fingers, she added darkly, "And if you want to keep your appendages, Rossi, I'd suggest you quit exploring. No means no!"

"Come on, Bella," Dave wheedled, grinning as he captured her lips for a second. "You know we've been talking about giving Mari a brother or sister. We could…."

Slamming both hands against his chest, Emily glared into his obsidian eyes. "You want to talk to me about a second child when the one we have is intent on becoming this generation's answer to Bram Stoker? Really?"

"Every kid worth their diaper gives their parents a good run for their money," Dave soothed calmly, sliding his hand over her arm.

"Mari started in utero, Dave," Emily retorted, shaking her head as she fought the urge to scream, their daughter's antics having tested the last level of patience she professed to possess.

"So, she was getting a head start on things. It'll be easier the second time around. We'll have home field advantage this time. We know the terrain now," he assured her.

"And we're navigating it oh sooo well," Emily snorted, rolling her eyes at her mate. "Face it, Rossi, our daughter is handing our asses to us."

"We're stronger, smarter and faster, Emmy," Dave sighed, leaning his head back against his leather chair. "We'll figure something out."

"Hmmm," Emily humphed, not quite believing him. "And while we're working a plan, our daughter is daycare-less. Any thoughts on that? It would be handy if you had one before our kid develops any other cannibalistic tendencies."

"Father Jimmy owes me a favor. With a hefty donation to the Catholic orphanage, I'm fairly certain I can buy our way into the Church's daycare."

"You're going to _bribe_ The Church?" Emily gaped, her mouth forming a perfect little circle as she stared at him, aghast.

"I'm going to donate some of my hard earned funds to a worthy Christian cause…then I'm gonna ask my old buddy for a favor. The timing is…coincidental," Dave smirked, satisfied with his solution.

"You are going to hell, but if it gets Mari into a safe daycare, I can live with it." Emily nodded after a pregnant pause. "I'll miss you in the Hereafter."

"Then how 'bout you make it up to me in the here and _now_," Dave suggested with a devilish smile, moving her against him. "If I'm gonna put my soul on the line, I oughta at least reap some benefits in the mortal realm."

"You've been reaping plenty of rewards for almost four years now," Emily returned, looping her arms around his neck as she settled against his lap, rising proof of his arousal lifting beneath her.

"Then you won't mind handing over another, will you?" Dave asked, touching his lips to hers.

Sinking into his familiar kiss, Emily felt their parenting problems dissolving into the periphery. So what if her child was part vampire? Her father was a complete demon. And together, they were her world.

And she wouldn't have it any other way.

_**Finis**_


End file.
